TV Mets: “I used to be a Climate Skeptic..”

August 16, 2016

Deeper dive into the recent interviews with TV weathercasters, in this case, Amber Sullins of ABC 15 Phoenix, and Greg Fishel of WRAL Raleigh. They relate how they came full circle from climate skepticism to realist.

We certainly have a problem when even our technology supports individuals seeking confirmation bias through for example Google searches returning exactly what we seek. Hence a person can never really be exposed to anything resembling the thruth because they get all kinds of junk science on the top of their hits every time. This is of course possible because we live in a free society, but also one where sales and marketing is more important than reality.

I have long searched for some way we can turn the information age back to actually spreading information – but the rate of entropy being generated by imbeciles is absolutely stunnind and overwhelming the system. A serious side effect of this is that people become “immune” to information because they no longer know who to trust or if anything they read is real anymore – and hence its easy to tune out and just slowly become uneducated and plain dumb.

This is why it is so important to learn kids at school how to judge the truth of the information they are consuming – learn to be skeptical – do as Greg did above – question if one is seeking confirmation bias or actually trying to learn something. Like the problems with all addictions, the human capacity to live in delusion is immense – likely some sort of defense mechanism. Lets hope we find some way of communicating actual truthful information again.

You probably already know of‘War on Science’ by Shawn Otto (I have linked to Greg Laden’s blog post there) but for those who have not Otto explains how we got where we are with the poor state of the public discourse on this issue.

Sadly, those who really should read this book, Russell Cook and Master Bates for two, will probably give it a pass. I suspect some of the arguments are too convoluted for the first named there to understand for a start.

Dude. At my blog, when I show such photos as the one below on multiple occasions from multiple books, it ought to be enough of an indicator that I own a physical copy of the books in order to highlight them that way.

First I’ve heard of Otto’s book, but if it is any indication from the brief bits I see about it, it is going to cite the usual suspects for the accusation that skeptic climate scientists are ‘paid shills of the fossil fuel industry.’ I’ve read enough material from your various dear leaders to easily spot the pattern, where the writer cites Hoggan, Oreskes, Dunlap & McCright, Desmog, Greenpeace etc & so forth, and where the cascade of citations always leads right back to one and only one source. Ross Gelbspan. NOBODY independently corroborates that guy, they just repeat and repeat. Trust me on this, when I get the chance to read Otto’s book, I most certainly will. You’ll probably end up regretting the suggestion.

Pure psychological projection on your part, too, of course. I read you guys’ books, websites & watch your presentations. YOU are the anti-science ones who dismiss an entire side out-of-hand, refusing to look at that material. When are you going to comprehend the sheer hypocrisy here?

You misunderstand, as always it was just thinking about the stupidly ignorant, those who refuse to learn from the real science as come to mind when reading certain passages from Otto’s book, that you sprang to mind. By tomorrow I will have forgotten all about you again.

First I’ve heard of Otto’s book, but if it is any indication from the brief bits I see about it, it is going to cite the usual suspects for the accusation that skeptic climate scientists are ‘paid shills of the fossil fuel industry.’

That is where you underestimate Otto, it is not another Oreskes or such like, goes far deeper than that. Almost into Dawkins’ territory in parts e.g. ‘Postmodernism Disrobed’.